Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus?Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

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IOS keyboard rig complete

edited September 2017 in Other

I wanted to share my finally complete live keyboard set up now that a few new apps are around and features in others that make this as good if not better than my mainstage/macbook pro rig, and so far its rock steady.


I have 6 sound apps running -
Piano - Ravenscroft 275
Rhodes - Neosoul Keys Studio
Hammond - Galileo
Synth - LayR
Strings - isymphonic
Choir and horns - isymphonic (on a different channel)
Brass stabs (soul sounding) - heavy brass

These are all run in standalone mode and in the background with Midiflow as a central hub which now has a mute feature so that any sound that I don’t want on is also not using any CPU, but does not cut off or keep notes hanging - this was a game changer for me.

All this is controlled by the app Midi Designer. As you can see on the attached photo’s of my ipad pro12.9”, I split the screen with the Midi Designer on the left and lyrics and chord charts on the right. All apps run at 5ms latency and currently midi and audio output is via the lighting connector of a korg plugkey, although I am thinking about iconnect 4+. I hope this helps others and welcome further suggestions from anyone to improve on this. To think I used to spend £250 on some piano software alone!

This is controlled by my Doepfer PK88 master keyboard - nice simple set up with amazing sounds!

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Comments

  • That is genius!! That looks like a superb setup. Kudos!

  • Brilliant! Thank you for sharing. I like the way you use midi designer. Have you designed the layout yourself?

    I am also working on a similar kind of setup with an air 2, midiflow and almost exactly the same apps, instead of LayR I use Poison 202.
    Have you concidered using AUM to host the apps or is it a conscious choice to use them stand alone? Does it save CPU that way?

    How do you use iSymphonic for both strings and choirs in stand alone? Don't you need multiple instances to pull that off?

    Do you do any splitting of the sounds or are you fine with just layering?

    I would love to know how you have set up midiflow and midi designer with program changes and all that good stuff.

    Lots of questions :)

  • Thanks for sharing. Very nicely done. What app is that displaying the lyrics and chord charts?

  • T> @wim said:

    Thanks for sharing. Very nicely done. What app is that displaying the lyrics and chord charts?

    Lyric chord app is Onsong

  • wimwim
    edited September 2017

    @rhaley said:
    T> @wim said:

    Thanks for sharing. Very nicely done. What app is that displaying the lyrics and chord charts?

    Lyric chord app is Onsong

    Thanks - been thinking about getting that one. I think I read that it can send program changes and maybe other parameters when you open a page? Is that true? Do you use that feature?

  • @StaffanKeys said:
    Brilliant! Thank you for sharing. I like the way you use midi designer. Have you designed the layout yourself?

    I am also working on a similar kind of setup with an air 2, midiflow and almost exactly the same apps, instead of LayR I use Poison 202.
    Have you concidered using AUM to host the apps or is it a conscious choice to use them stand alone? Does it save CPU that way?

    How do you use iSymphonic for both strings and choirs in stand alone? Don't you need multiple instances to pull that off?

    Do you do any splitting of the sounds or are you fine with just layering?

    I would love to know how you have set up midiflow and midi designer with program changes and all that good stuff.

    Lots of questions :)

    Thanks,
    To answer your questions...
    Yep I designed the midi controller layout myself.

    I used to use AUM, but ended up always having to repatch internal connections if I plugged things in the wrong order which became very frustrating (If LayR was AU, I may be tempted to try again).

    I want the opening of Apps and getting it ready to be as simple as possible. I was playing with an app called ‘workflow’ to see if i could set it all up with a touch of 1 button - wouldn’t that be great (no luck yet)?

    isymphonic is multitimbrel, so i simply use a different channel for different sounds sets.
    Each channel in midiflow has a unique midi channel output and virtual output, and a few other mods (Galileo transposed up an octave, brass and choirs have specific key ranges).

    I would happily send you my midiflow and Midi Designer programmes if you like.

  • @rhaley said:

    @StaffanKeys said:
    Brilliant! Thank you for sharing. I like the way you use midi designer. Have you designed the layout yourself?

    I am also working on a similar kind of setup with an air 2, midiflow and almost exactly the same apps, instead of LayR I use Poison 202.
    Have you concidered using AUM to host the apps or is it a conscious choice to use them stand alone? Does it save CPU that way?

    How do you use iSymphonic for both strings and choirs in stand alone? Don't you need multiple instances to pull that off?

    Do you do any splitting of the sounds or are you fine with just layering?

    I would love to know how you have set up midiflow and midi designer with program changes and all that good stuff.

    Lots of questions :)

    Thanks,
    To answer your questions...
    Yep I designed the midi controller layout myself.

    I used to use AUM, but ended up always having to repatch internal connections if I plugged things in the wrong order which became very frustrating (If LayR was AU, I may be tempted to try again).

    I want the opening of Apps and getting it ready to be as simple as possible. I was playing with an app called ‘workflow’ to see if i could set it all up with a touch of 1 button - wouldn’t that be great (no luck yet)?

    isymphonic is multitimbrel, so i simply use a different channel for different sounds sets.
    Each channel in midiflow has a unique midi channel output and virtual output, and a few other mods (Galileo transposed up an octave, brass and choirs have specific key ranges).

    I would happily send you my midiflow and Midi Designer programmes if you like.

    Yeah, it's a shame you have to route everything again when firing up AUM. Opening 6 apps manually is actually less work.

    It would be awesome if you could send them to me! Thanks!

  • Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

  • @wim said:

    @rhaley said:
    T> @wim said:

    Thanks for sharing. Very nicely done. What app is that displaying the lyrics and chord charts?

    Lyric chord app is Onsong

    Thanks - been thinking about getting that one. I think I read that it can send program changes and maybe other parameters when you open a page? Is that true? Do you use that feature?

    It does a lot of midi features but I haven’t played with them. There are regular updates and is a brilliant tool

  • @JohannesD said:
    Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

    Anyone know how I can attach files to this subject flow, I can only see how to attach pictures and web links?

  • @rhaley said:

    These are all run in standalone mode and in the background with Midiflow as a central hub which now has a mute feature so that any sound that I don’t want on is also not using any CPU, but does not cut off or keep notes hanging - this was a game changer for me.

    Muting the MIDI is a great way to do it, to have a bunch of synths/samplers ready to go, at any moment, but not be wasting cpu on instruments that have their audio muted. The notes having natural decay, after you've muted the instrument, is a nice side effect.

  • @rhaley said:

    These are all run in standalone mode and in the background with Midiflow as a central hub which now has a mute feature so that any sound that I don’t want on is also not using any CPU, but does not cut off or keep notes hanging - this was a game changer for me.

    Simply muting the MIDI to the apps doesn't use any CPU at all? Wow! Good to know.

  • @noisefan said:
    Simply muting the MIDI to the apps doesn't use any CPU at all? Wow! Good to know.

    I'm guessing that's more like "much less CPU". I'm pretty sure anything that's keeping background audio alive, and continuing to listen for MIDI has to take some CPU. Battery too. Especially battery.

  • So dope!

  • @wim said:

    @noisefan said:
    Simply muting the MIDI to the apps doesn't use any CPU at all? Wow! Good to know.

    I'm guessing that's more like "much less CPU". I'm pretty sure anything that's keeping background audio alive, and continuing to listen for MIDI has to take some CPU. Battery too. Especially battery.

    Yes, any synth app running idle in the background will take something, but it seems right to assume it's less than when it's playing. A lot of apps, if they choke, it's when playing big chords, or sounds with long decaying notes, that overlap, so it has to be computing each overlapped note. Some processes, like effects, probably take a constant amount of cpu, whether they're being fed with silence, or sound.

  • I had been looking for a good midi master keyboard but had not run across the Doepfer PK88. I looked it up and it looks interesting. Do you like the action of the keyboard?

    There are really zero controls? Just straight MIDI out and that is it?

    That is kinda cool - everything controlled on the iPad.

  • edited September 2017

    This ‘bypass’ feature in midiflow makes that workflow possible - it uses a definable midi ‘condition’ or set of conditions (cc’s, notes, velocity’ etc) to bypass that channel, but still lets existing notes decay naturally, and not hang anything, so is way more intelligent than simply cutting off the midi routing.
    This method for me has kept me away from any cpu issues, but yes battery is very busy! Thats one of the reasons i was looking at iconnect 4+ instead of korg plugkey. I would be very interested to know what people think of it.

    @HokieKev said:
    I had been looking for a good midi master keyboard but had not run across the Doepfer PK88. I looked it up and it looks interesting. Do you like the action of the keyboard?

    There are really zero controls? Just straight MIDI out and that is it?

    That is kinda cool - everything controlled on the iPad.

    Liking the action is very, very subjective, i like it, not as much as a kawaii mp11 piano/vp3, but the convenience of a lid and no flightcase is great. I modified an ipad desktop stand to screw on to the bottom of the keyboard, so it really is a standalone simple looking solid solution.

  • Awesome work. Comgrats!
    Mainstage for iOS should be something like this IMHO.

  • @rhaley said:
    I wanted to share my finally complete live keyboard set up now that a few new apps are around and features in others that make this as good if not better than my mainstage/macbook pro rig, and so far its rock steady.


    I have 6 sound apps running -
    Piano - Ravenscroft 275
    Rhodes - Neosoul Keys Studio
    Hammond - Galileo
    Synth - LayR
    Strings - isymphonic
    Choir and horns - isymphonic (on a different channel)
    Brass stabs (soul sounding) - heavy brass

    These are all run in standalone mode and in the background with Midiflow as a central hub which now has a mute feature so that any sound that I don’t want on is also not using any CPU, but does not cut off or keep notes hanging - this was a game changer for me.

    All this is controlled by the app Midi Designer. As you can see on the attached photo’s of my ipad pro12.9”, I split the screen with the Midi Designer on the left and lyrics and chord charts on the right. All apps run at 5ms latency and currently midi and audio output is via the lighting connector of a korg plugkey, although I am thinking about iconnect 4+. I hope this helps others and welcome further suggestions from anyone to improve on this. To think I used to spend £250 on some piano software alone!

    This is controlled by my Doepfer PK88 master keyboard - nice simple set up with amazing sounds!

    That's really awsome work.

    I'm currently on the market for a solution similar to yours for reversal purposes for the time being, altough i hope it can replace my PC Rig in the future. I have a couple of questions if you would be so kind to answer.

    Can you give an update on your experience with your setup?
    What is the model of your ipad and first or second gen ipad pro? Could it run a couple more apps or does your setup consume all cpu ram power? Do you get a good polyphony with the ravenscroft? Could you share your midiflow and Midi Designer programmes?

    Thank you.

  • I think you have to use Dropbox or some equivalent to attach files here.

    I like your setup. I was wondering why you chose LayR as your only synth. I noticed you are using emulated instruments for the rest of your setup, and was wondering if you also use those types of sounds in LayR as well, or do you use the more typical, electronic sounds in LayR?

  • Really cool!

  • Very intriguing - how did I miss this thread the first time around!?

  • that's nice!

  • @CracklePot said:
    I think you have to use Dropbox or some equivalent to attach files here.

    I like your setup. I was wondering why you chose LayR as your only synth. I noticed you are using emulated instruments for the rest of your setup, and was wondering if you also use those types of sounds in LayR as well, or do you use the more typical, electronic sounds in LayR?

    Obviously not knowing why @rhaley uses LayR but I find it is the best choice in a single synth to cover all the various sounds required. Once you get your head round programming it you can produce anything from deep Moogy to shimmering strings, choirs, pads and ambience. If I only had to have one, LayR would be it.

  • I’ve been using AUM for live keyboards with akai mpk249. Here’s what I’ve learned: only save your presets WHILE your midi controller is connected, and only recall a preset AFTER your midi controller is plugged in. If you do this, you won’t have to make midi mapping each time, and it’ll remember the mapping you made for each slider. Took me a while to figure that out.
    As a general rule, I only use AU’s so that I can stay on one screen.
    You can filter out midi channels in AUM, so changing to a different channel on a keyboard is a quick way to change patches. I do wish AUM would make a midi mute switch to make it easier though!
    Apps used: ravenscroft 275, neosoul keys, zeeon, NS1, bs-16i, and iSymphonic.

  • edited February 2018

    @wim said:

    @rhaley said:
    T> @wim said:

    Thanks for sharing. Very nicely done. What app is that displaying the lyrics and chord charts?

    Lyric chord app is Onsong

    Thanks - been thinking about getting that one. I think I read that it can send program changes and maybe other parameters when you open a page? Is that true? Do you use that feature?

    Yes it is and I use this feature. It works well.... provided the app at the other end supports what you are trying to do. A great many apps do not support MIDI PC messages for some reason.

    I use OnSong for my setlists and it sends PC messages to the various synths I have running to select the patch I am using for that song. Each synth I have is set to listen on a different MIDI channel. BTW This capability of OnSong is an IAP.

    I currently use:
    Roland AX-7 Keytar
    Yamaha MD-BT01
    OnSong
    Korg iM1
    Poison-202
    FM Player
    Korg iMono/Poly

  • I use LayR for warm cinematic backgrounds. having said that I’ve just started creating a hammond in layr too which its really suited to — creating individual elements of the sound.

    I use midiflow conditions to switch on and off apps as it doesn’t cut short held notes, or pick up sustaining notes when unmuting, and of course doesn’t play those apps when muted.

    I have changed my Midi Designer layout since the photo but playing live, there is nothing like this set up, layering, and blending great sounds on the fly

    Gone back to AUM now also, which is working well except isymphony samples seem to take much longer to load.

  • This is solid, and inspiring- thanks for sharing

  • @rhaley said:

    I would happily send you my midiflow and Midi Designer programmes if you like.

    Very generous, how can I get this?

    Also wondering, if you needed them, what would you choose for Wurly and Clav?

  • It's an old thread, maybe the OP isn't following anymore... is there anyone here who can send me those Midiflow and MIDI Designer templates? Thanks for any help here!

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